[LuvShepherds]

I put my older dog on Zignature to get her off of Hills ID after a second episode of abdominal bleeding. It works very well. No more bleeding, firm stool, no weight loss and she loves it. But there are so few ingredients and one is peas. It’s basically meat, garbanzos, peas and flax plus added nutrients. I’ve been supplementing with fresh fruit. I also give her coconut oil. She had dried skin and that is completely gone. Now that she is well, though, I’m wondering if she needs to be on LID. She got sick both times on different versions of Fromm 4 Star.

What are reasons to be on a LID diet? What are reasons not to use one?

 

[Magwart]

The reason to use it is a food allergy to one or more of the common proteins used in "regular" dog food.



The reasons not to use it for healthy dogs who lack food allergies are in the thread on the FDA warning about DCM. And the added expense without any real benefit.


If you need to use it, you can always supplement with some additional taurine for peace of mind.

 

[WIBackpacker]

What are reasons to be on a LID diet? What are reasons not to use one?

**This is just my opinion**, but I think that feeding a strictly limited ingredient diet to a dog (or any animal) that doesn't require it can ultimately create a finicky digestive system. That has been my observation of different types of animals that I have owned or cared for.

It's not unlike people who never eat spicy food, or never eat high acid food, or never eat beans, and randomly choose to enjoy a dish of such.... bad results. Or people who only drink "city" or bottled water and end up with stomach gurgles if they travel somewhere and drink "well" water.

Different proteins have different types and ratios of nutrients, fats, and amino acids (and of course Taurine, which is enjoying some time in the spotlight right now). In a healthy animal, feeding diversity leads to a stronger system. If you keep animals (rabbits, goats) on dry hay only, and abruptly feed a big bucket of fruit, you're asking for problems. But if they are accustomed to diversity, they handle windfalls or random stuff without issue.

We have one family dog (non-GSD) that actually needs a LID to keep clear skin and nice coat. There are some foods that absolutely do not work for her. With the other dogs, I deliberately mix things up. Again, this is only my opinion, based on my own observations. If a LID is not required, I would not use one.

 

[LuvShepherds]

Thank you. I’m going to test out Fromm 4 Star chicken. It contains fish meal and we may have introduced a fish sensitivity, but she did well on LID turkey. She has been on fish of one kind or another for years. It may be the protein source. I hope the feed store will exchange the bag of LID I bought a week ago. I can’t find the receipt.

 

[LuvShepherds]

The vet suggest mixing the food, eventually 50-50 or some mix that makes sense to test if bleeding returns. If not, I can slowly switch to a regular diet.

 

[Sabis mom]

I switched Shadow to an LID because people gave me potentially bad advice.

She has food allergies and we were trying to narrow it down. There were other ways to do it but strange as it seems she is my first dog with allergies and I was confused.
I am hopeful this new food works, because I know it's hard on her doing all these switches.
I agree that if it isn't necessary it shouldn't happen. Dogs have evolved as scavengers and I think they need a variety of foods. When I think back on what the dogs ate growing up and look at all the "bad" stuff now, I don't get how any dogs survived. We had a scrap bucket by the sink. Into that bucket went any and all kitchen scraps and if the bowls looked a bit light we tossed some dog chow in. Cooked bones are bad but fire has been around almost as long as we have so it's a safe bet dogs have been eating them forever. Onions have been used in cooking for at least 3000 years, dogs certainly have been eating them. We need to remember that up until very recently no one gave much thought to what dogs ate, or in some cases if they ate.

 

[LuvShepherds]

The vet said to try it since nothing else had long term results. Something was ulcerating her stomach. But she is a rescue and a scavenger and it’s possible she was eating junk outside and something injured her. I’ve been much more careful about what she gets into when I’m not around and watching her outdoors. I found the receipt, so I can return the big bag, get a small one along with some Fromm and test it out while I switch her over. My other dog can’t eat chicken but I don’t mind keeping them on different foods. This may have all started because she was on TotW grain free for years. The rescue suggested we use it. Now I know better, but because she had years on fish, I want to try something else.

 

[Malibu]

Thank you. I’m going to test out Fromm 4 Star chicken. It contains fish meal and we may have introduced a fish sensitivity, but she did well on LID turkey. She has been on fish of one kind or another for years. It may be the protein source. I hope the feed store will exchange the bag of LID I bought a week ago. I can’t find the receipt.

I am feeling your concern as I am in the same situation. I have researches 100 hours on food, probiotics, just trying to learn what my babies need and don't need. Here is what I am finding.

Froms not a LID but fewer ingredients and taurine. only 4 star ratting. why would I not want to feed a 5 star kibble.

I am feeding INSTINCT which seems to be working, but I actually want to find a second food because I would like to mix the two. Which I feel will allow me to offer more dietary options. The few foods I am looking at are Petcurean Gather, Horizon Pulsar. I am feeding zignature seafood with Instinct which would have been great but my girl is starting to itch.

So what I am doing is,, 1 Started making goat milk kefir 2. Checking with vet to run a allergy scan. 3. See what the Guru's " saying this word with the utmost respect" have to say about the kibble. I still need to find one myself.

 

[LuvShepherds]

As far as I’m concerned Fromm is rated as high as the others. If you are talking about Dog Food Advisor, they use a computer algorithm. They don’t care for beets or tomato pomace, which subtracts a star from Fromm. Based on their history and choice of ingredients, I trust Fromm as much as any other quality dog food company. They add taurine to foods that might be deficient. They use many vegetables and fruits that I don’t see in other foods.

 

[LuvShepherds]

This is a plug for local feed stores and smaller pet food chain stores. I took back an unopened bag of Zignature, got a store credit and a medium sized back of chicken a la veg to try. I’ve already started switching her over very slowly. I will let you all know how it works for us. My local Petco would never do that. This is a main reason why I support local businesses and don’t shop online.